I recently read a text that said something like “stop caring about perfecting your side-projects because you’re not important and nobody cares, just take pride in doing things”.

Initially, I found myself disagreeing with this sentiment, maybe because deep down I don’t want such a thing to discourage me. Should we all just give up on doing our best?

But after some involuntary reflection, it turns out that what I perceived of the message isn’t what the author intended. The message is that despite not having an audience, we shouldn’t refrain from engaging in activities we enjoy, nor should we worry about achieving perfection. As long as they satisfy us, they’re acceptable.

I have personally struggled with perfectionism for as long as I can remember, and it has been a constant battle. I believe it was one of the reasons I’ve failed college in my first attempt. It never settled well with me that rushing to study something in order to just pass an exam is enough if I didn’t fully master the subject in the end. My expectations for myself were almost unattainable from the start.

Over time I feel like I’ve gotten better at it. One strategy I’ve adopted is creating small MVPs. Being less ambitious is one of the best antidotes against perfectionism. Instead, one can focus on doing small improvements over time to improve things gradually, embodying the principle of Gaul’s Law:

“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over, beginning with a working simple system.” — John Gall

In summary, I think what works for each person is different and there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach. Breaking projects into smaller goals seems to be a very effective strategy and I’d encourage anyone to try.